XP Earning Tips

With a total of 130 ranks in Halo 4's Multiplayer, players can expect to play a little longer than they'd like in order to hit the level capacity. Below are several XP earning tips that'll have you paving your way to the highest rank while leaving everyone else in the dust.

Unfortunately for those wishing to reach the highest rank within a day, Halo 4 has a daily XP limit of 150,000 XP. After this amount of XP has been earned in a single day, no more XP can be earned from matches, Challenges, or Commendations. The daily limit resets at around 2:00AM PST (5:00AM EST) along with the daily challenges.

Every set of 10 ranks beyond SR-50 requires the same amount of XP to rank up. This means 50-60 will take the same amount of XP as 60-70. Beyond SR-50, Specializations are used. When a player opts for one Specialization they may not opt for another until they rank up 10 times. There are a total of eight Specializations, making the level cap SR-130.

To view a list of the ranks and XP required to reach them, visit the Spartan Ranks page.

Prior to Halo 4's launch, Mountain Dew and Doritos teamed up once again to provide consumers with a chance to earn double XP in Halo 4. Codes can be found on most Doritos and Mountain Dew products, and such products are indicated by Halo 4 art found on the packaging. These codes can be redeemed at DewXP.com and will earn you one contest entry and a number of games of double XP based on the product the code was found on.

Double XP will be awarded after a match of matchmaking War Games or matchmaking Spartan Ops. It will cause the amount of XP that would have been earned without the code to double. This does not affect challenges or commendations earned during that match.

It's recommended that these be coupled with Spartan Ops matchmaking, as 8-12k XP will be awarded per match.

The codes are located on the outside of the products on the bag. The codes can be redeemed without purchasing the product, but some store employees may not appreciate customers taking pictures of Doritos bags. Let this be a warning to those purchasing Doritos for the codes, as they may already be used.

Because the codes are located on the outside of the bags, they can be used twice, but only once per account. Share them with your friends after you've already used them, or use them on an alternate Xbox Live account.

Spartan Ops rewards players with loads of XP, especially when played in Matchmaking. Spartan Ops matchmaking rewards players with about twice the amount of XP than a normal Spartan Ops match. Search for a match through matchmaking, and you're guaranteed to earn 5,950xp. The amount of XP earned through a Spartan Ops match depends entirely on the amount of time spent in that match. The amount awarded is capped out at 5,950xp (11,900 with DewXP), and this is given out for about ten minutes of gameplay.

Although based on personal preference, each playlist in Halo 4 will award players with the same amount of XP, or close to the same amount. This means that the playlists which provide the shortest games will provide the most XP over an amount of time. The playlists which provide the shortest games are:

If you feel another playlist is providing you with more XP over time, then stick with that playlist. Most of the XP rewarded at the end of the match is earned from winning the match, so stick with what you're best at.

Waypoint Terminal Codes are codes currently being hinted at by 343i employees and forum moderators. They offer a wide range of awards to those willing to solve a couple riddles. The codes can be found at the page linked here, and can be entered here. Some of the codes offer players loads of XP for redeeming them. So far a total of 19,116xp can be earned from these codes. Though there are requirements to be met before they can be redeemed.

The Pioneer Specialization is unlocked for those who purchased the Halo 4 Limited Edition and entered the exclusive code given in the game's red envelope. Specializations can be accessed at any time by pressing "Start", scrolling up to "Career", and clicking "Specializations". If the Pioneer Specialization isn't in this list, you're going to have to wait until December. In December Microsoft will be sending codes out via email that will allow those who've played at any time between the launch date and the 20th of November to unlock the other six Specializations. Without this code, only Wetwork and Operator will be available.

If you have the Pioneer Specialization unlocked, you'll be able to level up through it after hitting SR-50. After hitting SR-50, opt for the Pioneer Specialization. Once you rank up to SR-60, or just 10 ranks of the Pioneer Specialization, you'll unlock the Fast TrackTactical Package. This will enable you to earn more XP after every match so long as that Tactical Package is selected in the loadout you use.